By James Smith

In a challenging economic climate and with end-users understandably demanding maximum ROI from their investment in video surveillance systems, it might be time for installers to take a closer look at how 360° cameras could give them a competitive edge.

Simply put, 360° fisheye lens cameras are able to reduce the cost of video surveillance in many situations as they can be used to monitor very wide or large areas. Cost savings are achieved by significantly reducing the number of cameras needed for video surveillance projects in environments such as airports, hospitals, large office reception areas, retail and public spaces. In addition to a reduction in capital costs, they are straightforward to install and commission. With no moving parts, 360° cameras also offer further cost savings in terms of maintenance.

The Advantages
Even when fixed cameras are carefully installed, blind areas may still occur which in a retail environment, for example, shoplifters will be keen to exploit. Whilst Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) cameras will help negate this problem, they cannot provide a simultaneous uninterrupted recording of all events, with the risk they may not be pointing at where an incident is taking place. A 360